The Face Thief: She Borrows Faces to Save Lives

by P.A. Farrell

Morgan Hayes is a shape-shifter who lives quietly in Cedar Falls, working from a small office and helping people disappear when they need it most. Her ability is simple but touch a mirror, feel the cold rush, and her face changes into someone else's. She usually keeps a borrowed face for six to twelve hours—long enough to board a bus, go through an airport, or slip past those hunting her.
For six years, this has been Morgan's work. She helps domestic violence survivors escape their abusers, witnesses relocate before trials, and anyone else who needs a new face to stay alive. She has strict no long-term holds, no personal involvement, and absolutely no questions about what happens next.
But when Beth Warner shows up desperate and scared, Morgan's carefully built boundaries start to break down. Beth isn't fleeing from an ex-boyfriend or a local danger. She's entangled in something much bigger—a federal case involving dangerous people and information that could ruin lives. Despite her better judgment, Morgan agrees to help.
What should be a simple case turns into Morgan's toughest challenge yet. As days pass and the danger grows, Morgan finds herself holding faces longer than ever before, pushing her limits. When she holds Nicole's face for seven days straight—the longest she's ever managed—Morgan starts to lose track of where one identity ends and another begins.
Living above a bakery with her roommate Jenna, Morgan has always kept her gift secret and her emotional walls high. But this case forces her to confront uncomfortable questions about identity, sacrifice, and the cost of always being someone else. As she helps Beth navigate an increasingly dangerous situation, Morgan must decide how much of herself she's willing to lose—and whether she can find her way back to her own face when it's all over.
THE FACE THIEF is a 10,000-word fantasy novella that examines themes of identity and self-sacrifice through engaging, character-focused storytelling. Set in the modern Midwest, it blends elements of urban fantasy, suspense, and human drama in a story about what we're willing to give up to help others—and what happens when we lose track of who we truly are.

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2025

Reviews

[Joseph Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the fence.

I was hoping a better ending.

On the fence if I should read book 2.

Great story but I think the author should have written more to it. Morgan can shift and change her face and become another woman and help them. The longer she held the face the harder it was to keep in place. But at what price? I did not think there was one. Her friend Jenna had a theory.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Idea

This story would be a novelette - a little longer than a short story. I don’t think it reaches novella length, so I won’t hold it to the same standards. It is an easy, quick read. I like the concept of someone who can “borrow” the faces (and bodies and voices) of women in danger who need help doing so because she is a compassionate person. For the length, we get enough character development to know what Morgan will do in the end.

This story focuses on Morgan, so we don’t learn much about the women she helps except for a description of their circumstances. Morgan is asked to help in situations that require her to hold the imitation longer than she is accustomed, so she is reaching her limitations. I enjoyed the story and would like a full-length, well-developed novel with Morgan.

I rate this story about 3 1/2 stars. I received this book for free via Goodreads.

[Angelica Tafoya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book

[Whitney Warrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting setup for what appears to be a good series with a different premise.